


Chem 101; A Janto High School AU

by scotlandgraveyard



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 12:07:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3173334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scotlandgraveyard/pseuds/scotlandgraveyard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Janto one shot high school AU in which Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones find themselves sitting next to each other in a horrible chemistry class and pass the time by writing messages to each other in the margins of their textbooks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chem 101; A Janto High School AU

Ianto Jones arrives half an hour late for his first lesson at a new school, soaking wet from the Cardiff rains.  
“Who knew anywhere could be wetter than London?” he grumbles to himself as he stands awkwardly in the doorway, dripping water over the linoleum science room floor. The old bat that teaches Chemistry 101 directs him to the only vacant seat; in the back row next to a tall guy in a long grey military coat. He rolls his eyes; that coat is the most pretentious thing Ianto Jones ever saw.  
“I-I don’t mean to bother you,” he whispers to coat-boy, as he slides into his seat. “But I don’t have a textbook.”  
Coat–boy shoots him a glance and slides the textbook between them. Ianto opens his mouth to offer thanks, but nothing comes out. That’s when he notices the message scrawled across the bottom margin of the book;  _Aren’t you supposed to bring Starbucks?  
_ It takes Ianto a moment to realize that Coat Boy’s trying to make conversation with him. He smiles at the horrible attempt at humour and scrawls a reply out of the corner of his eye, trying his hardest to inject sarcasm into two syllables of grey lead pencil.  
 _Ha-ha.  
_ Ianto expects that to be it, and then coat-boy nudges him in the ribs. _Name?_  
To which a stunned Ianto replies; _Jones,_ and begins to push the book back, but pauses to add; _Ianto Jones._

That’s when the bell rings and Ianto swears to God that coat-boy smiles at him as he snaps the book closed and disappears into the hall, all hair and coat tails, leaving Ianto’s heart beating a million miles an hour.  
“Wait!” Ianto calls but he’s the only one left in the classroom. As he slings his bag across his shoulder he notices a piece of notebook paper flutter to the ground beside him, torn along one edge. Absentmindedly, he stoops to pick it up and is about to throw it away when he catches sight of coat-boy’s beautiful script. Out of curiosity more than anything, he stops to read it. _Awfully Welsh name for an Englishman. See you round, Jones, Ianto Jones._  
And Ianto does see him around; it’s hard not to notice coat-boy strutting around in big grey coat, three best friends at his heels. They’re the band; the most popular kids in school and they call themselves Torchwood.

And so seeing is as far as it goes. After all, guys like Ianto just aren’t supposed to hang out with guys like Jack Harkness.

The following week finds Ianto seated once more next to Jack Harkness in that dreaded chemistry class. And this time they’re sharing Ianto’s textbook (Jack ‘misplaced’ his). It not too long before the first message appears, and this time it’s Ianto who writes it.  
 _So, you’re in a band?_ Again it’s messy; scrawled out of the corner of his eye.  
The reply reads, _so you don’t live under a rock then?_  
Jack smirks. Arrogance: what more would you expect from Jack Harkness?  
 _I can play the bass,_ Ianto replies.  
 _So can Gwen._ Reads the reply. _That’s why I recruited her._  
Gwen Cooper; Ianto remembered her because she was the only one in the welsh rock band who actually possessed a welsh accent.  
 _I could be a roadie._ Ianto ventures.  
 _Sorry, no vacancies._ You can almost hear that cocky American drawl; almost see that arrogant smile playing across Jack's lips.  
 _You’ll let me know, though?_ Post scriptum: _If there is one._  
 _I doubt there will be._  
Those five words shatter any illusion Ianto held of some kind of connection between him and Jack. There are no more messages exchanged. But Ianto can’t stop thinking about the boy in the coat. He likes Jack, a lot. Way more than he probably should considering how arrogant Jack is and also considering he’s never felt this way about a _guy_.

By the time the next class rolls around, they both have their own textbooks. Ianto can’t concentrate with Jack so close beside him and neither of them talking. It isn’t too long before the chorus of The Smiths’ _There Is A Light That Never Goes Out_ is blaring out across the classroom and interrupting a riveting lecture on the modern day uses of radioactive particles.  
“Shit!” Jack mutters but he can’t turn it off without looking conspicuous.  
Dragon-lady looks daggers at Jack. “Mr. Harkness.” She fumes. In true Jack fashion, he glowers back at her.  
 It’s not a big deal, but Ianto feels he has to do something. He barely gives it a second thought as he slowly slides his hand into Jack’s pocket.  
 “What are you doing?” Jack growls out of the corner of his mouth, eyes fixed on the teacher.  
 “Trust me.” Ianto breathes, sliding the phone into his own coat pocket, although he isn’t excactly sure why Jack should trust him.  
 Ianto stands “It’s mine,” he proclaims in what he hopes is a bold voice. It probably isn’t.  
 Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Jack give him a what-the-fuck-do-you-think-you’re-doing look that would rival even Ianto’s mother. His heart hammers. The dragon-lady turns on him.  “Jones. Out.” She spits and Ianto doesn’t need to be asked twice.  
 ‘What the fuck are you doing?’ Ianto asks himself as he slides down the wall in the deserted hallway. ‘It wasn’t even a big deal.’  
 _But it is a big deal, at least it feels like a big deal_ , he thinks as slides Jack’s phone back and forth in his hand. Not because he just got kicked out of class for the first time ever, not even because he practically just stole a phone. But because he made a fool of himself in front of Jack Harkness. The phone rings again and Ianto lets it ring out. Suddenly he realises he loves the song and dammit, for a minute he thinks he might even love Jack Harkness.  
“You’re an idiot.” He assures himself, out loud.  
But the next week a note appears on his locker.  
 _See you at band practice, Jones, Ianto Jones._ It reads, and then underneath, _Oh, and I want my phone back._


End file.
